Microsoft

My
Religious
Journey
This is a story of the development
of my religious thoughts over the
years of my life from childhood to
the ripe old age of 94. I trust you
Earl J Prignitz
will enjoy it and find it useful in
2030 Chester Blvd.
your life.
Richmond, IN 47374
ejp53@verizon,net
Earl J. Prignitz

28
 His case And that is good enough for me. And you
know what else, that message prohibits me from
killing my neighbor, period. And he certainly
illustrated who my neighbors are with his Samaritan
story.

EJP Publications
2030 Chester Blvd.
Richmond, IN 47374
2 27
history of the Church and subsequent history of My Early Years
Europe. In terms of a religious tradition, my upbringing was
centered around the church. To begin with it was in
According to Wikipedia atonement is “a doctrine
attending the Swedish Baptist Church in Moline,
found within both Christianity and Judaism. It
Illinois with our Swedish friends, who lived in the
describes how sin can be forgiven by God. In Judaism,
apartment below us. The Peterson family were
Atonement is said to be the process of forgiving or
devoted Christians and it showed in their daily lives.
pardoning a transgression. This was originally
Since there was no Friends Meeting in Moline they
accomplished through rituals performed by a high
invited us to attend Sunday School along with them.
priest (Kohen) on the holiest day of the Jewish year:
I did and enjoyed the class of boys that I was in,
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). In Christian
taught by Mr. Olson. He was a very robust fellow and
theology the atonement refers to the forgiving or
extremely jovial. He was also a very good teacher. I
pardoning of sin through the death of Jesus Christ by
never stayed for the Church service as it was
crucifixion which made possible the reconciliation
conducted in the Swedish language. But the Peterson
between God and creation. Within Christianity there
family attended every Sunday, and attended both
are three main theories for how such atonement
Sunday School and Church, and I went with them
might work: the ransom theory, the satisfaction
unless I was to ill to go. Then my dad would pick me
theory and the moral influence theory.”
up when Sunday School was over. On one occasion
It’s when you get into those theories it gets very when the Church was having a series of Evangelistic
confusing. And those are just 3 of the many theories Meetings the evangelist spoke to the Sunday School
that have been offered through the centuries. during the closing exercises. When he gave the
invitation to give your heart to Jesus I went forward
I trust you see how this all fits together. It is my
along with many of the other boys and girls. I
firm conviction that Jesus never intended, nor did he
remember how pleased my mother was when I got
ever proclaim that he was the lamb of God. That
home and she learned what I had done.
was Paul who carried this idea forward and then it
was implemented by the Council at Nicaea. Jesus I obviously didn’t understand the significance of such a
message was so simple that even I can understand it, decision at that age and it didn’t make much of difference in

26 3
life style. I was just one of the boys, both in Moline
and then in Buffalo when we moved there.
My senior year in Buffalo, 1934-35 during another
evangelistic meeting I recommitted my life to the
Lord. I had some inclination at that time to go into
the ministry. But instead I got married and we had
three daughters, before I felt the urge to enter the
ministry so strong that I couldn’t resist it. I’ll
continue this thread later.
4 25
Cor. 2:2; Gal. 1:4). Of course, the other apostles also
bore witness to the salvation of sinners through
Jesus, but Paul shows how the gospel is a revelation
of the righteousness of God (Rom. 1:16, 17).
But let's not blame it all on Paul. The Church
Council at Nicaea comes in for their share of the
blame. That Council of Nicaea was historically
significant because it was the first effort to attain
consensus in the church through an assembly
representing all of Christendom. It was the first
occasion for the development of technical Christology.
Christology is that field of study within Christian
theology which is concerned with the nature of Jesus
the Christ, particularly with how the divine and
human are related in his person. Christology is
generally less concerned with the details of Jesus' life
than with how the human and divine co-exist in one
person. Another thing to remember is that the
Church had reached a low ebb in it's corporate life
and that Constantine in convoking and presiding over
the council signaled a measure of imperial control
over the church. But with the creation of the Nicene
Creed, a precedent was established for subsequent
general councils to create a statement of belief and
canons which were intended to become guidelines for
doctrinal orthodoxy and a source of unity for the
whole of Christendom — a momentous event in the
He concluded that sermon by saying: Pacifism

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor

It was also during these years that I firmed up my
and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your
conviction that war was wrong and contrary to the
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that
teaching of Jesus, hence I could have no part in it.
you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes
his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends
rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you So you see I have been a Christian Pacifist for at
love those who love you, what reward will you get? least 70 years and have no regrets for taking the
Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you position. I think I have firm foundation for saying
greet only your brothers, what are you doing more that based on the teaching of Jesus and the other
than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, directives to the early church. What did Christ teach
therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. about resistance and retaliation? All one needs to do
is examine the intention of our Lord’s words by His
That sets a pretty high standard my friends! own example in real life. Did He really mean it
literally when He said that Christians should not
Well, so now just where did all the strange beliefs of
resist an evildoer? That the love of his disciples
the Christian Church come from? Let me attempt to
should be so immense that they should be willing to
tell you! The Apostle Paul, bless his heart, can be
turn the other cheek when they were struck as is
blamed first of all. Remember he was a converted
suggested in Matthew 5:38-48? Did he in point of
Jew, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. That was his claim
fact mean that He was sending His disciples out as
to fame. And his purpose was to convert other
harmless and as vulnerable as lambs in the middle of
Hebrews to his new found way of life. He was steeped
a pack of wolves as recorded in Luke 10:3? Was Paul
in the old animal sacrifice theology so why wouldn't
honestly reflecting the spirit of his Lord when he
he transpose it over into Christian thought? And he
reminded his followers that even though they walked
did it, and sold it to his Christian brethren, lock,
in the flesh, they should not war according to the
stock and barrel. And Jesus has been the atonement
flesh in 2 Corinthians 10:3? When he reminded the
for sin ever since. Paul's gospel theme was Christ
young church in Thessalonica not to render evil for
and Him crucified for the justification of sinners (1

24 5
evil to anyone in 1 Thessalonians 5:15 did he mean for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
what he said? How about when he said in 2 Timothy
Blessed are those who mourn,
2:24 that the Lord’s servant must not strive, but be
gentle toward all. Was he just kidding? Was Peter for they will be comforted.
being led by the Holy Spirit when he urged the
Blessed are the meek,
nonresistant spirit of his Christian readers in the
nonresistant standard of Jesus Christ who suffered for they will inherit the earth.
unjustly -- even crucifixion on a criminal’s cross in 1
Peter 2:21-24? Was Peter correct in two different Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
times suggesting that Christians are called to a righteousness, for they will be filled.
ministry of nonresistant suffering? 1 Peter 2:21; 3:9. Blessed are the merciful,
And finally, was Peter led by the Spirit (1 Peter 4:1)
when he suggested that just as the Lord Jesus for they will be shown mercy.
suffered in the flesh, so the Christian needs to “arm
Blessed are the pure in heart,
himself” with the same readiness to suffer meekly?
You know what, the witness of history is that the for they will see God.
primitive church understood these injunctions to
Blessed are the peacemakers,
mean exactly what they said. This amazing witness
remained until the fourth or fifth century. for they will be called sons of God.

Hear the words of Justin, who was martyred in 165 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of
A. D., "We ourselves were well conversant with war, righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
murder and everything evil, but all of us throughout
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute
the whole wide earth have traded in our weapons of
you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you
war. We have exchanged our swords for plowshares,
because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is
our spears for farm tools...now we cultivate the fear of
your reward in heaven, for in the same way they
God, justice, kindness, faith, and the expectation of
persecuted the prophets who were before you.
the future given to us through the crucified one...the

6 23
And to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:6-8)
There were other prophets who echoed the same
theme also.
Then in the very next century along came Jesus
Christ. Who is this man who claimed to be God?
What were the major events in Jesus Christ’s life on
Earth? Was Jesus Christ truly the Savior of the
world? Those questions and many more like them
have been bandied about ever since his arrival on the
scene. I personally believe that he is the very best
and highest knowledge we have of who God is and
what God is like. Remember he said, "Anyone who
has seen me has seen the Father." John 14:8-10 I
believe his testimony.
He also said many times that the secret of eternal
life was, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength and
with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as
yourself." Luke 10:26-28
In the only sermon that is recorded for us he said:
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a
mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to
him, and he began to teach them saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
22
more we are persecuted and martyred, the more do
others in ever increasing numbers become believers."
Or again listen to Hippolytus in 218 A.D., "A
military constable must be forbidden to kill, neither
may he swear; if he is not willing to follow these
instructions, he must be rejected by the community.
A proconsul or magistrate who wears the purple and
governs by the sword shall give it up or be rejected.
Anyone taking or already baptized who wants to
become a soldier shall be sent away, for he has
despised God."
Then following years of struggle with power being
distributed among many rulers one powerful leader
emerged one Gaius Flavius Valerius Constantinus -
or just Constantine. He emerged from the imperial
tumult through several military conquests, the most
popular of which was the battle of the Milvian Bridge
in the year 312. Before he entered into battle, so the
legend goes, he saw a sign of the cross in the sky, and
heard a voice saying, 'In this will you conquer.' Quite
ironic isn't it, considering that for Jesus the cross
meant refusal of worldly ways of conquering.
It was just a few years following Constantine's
putting his blessings on war that the love affair
between Church and State grew even more intimate.
The emperor Theodosius proclaimed Christianity as
7
the state religion of the empire and made it a crime up in the poorer, working class of his small farming
not to be a Christian. That is when things really got community. The quality of his prophecy, however,
messy. Christians were ordered to kill pagans who has caused many scholars to believe that he received
refused to become Christian. a good education and/or may have been one of the
wealthier members of the community, a land owner.
The Church in reality moved from being the
Still others consider him as an elder of the
persecuted to being persecutor. In the name of one
community, indicating his respect among his people.
who taught us to love our enemies, the church burned
At any rate, because he grew up in such a community,
its enemies alive.
he was well aware of the avarice and injustices of the
However, the Anabaptists and their three groups of rich. And thus he cried out against the evils of his
spiritual descendants (Mennonites, Amish, and day:
Hutterites) came along in the 16th century and they
With what shall I come before the LORD
sought to hold to the primitive position of the church
on nonresistance. They believed that only that And bow down before the exalted God?
position is possible if one seriously seeks to follow
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
both the teaching and the example of the Lord Jesus.
Hence Conrad Grebel, the chief founder of Swiss With calves a year old?
Anabaptism and a former disciple of Zwingli, wrote in
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
1524: "The gospel and its adherents, moreover, are
not to be protected by the sword, nor are they thus to With ten thousand rivers of oil?
protect themselves. True Christian believers are as
sheep among wolves, and prepared for the slaughter. Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
They must be baptized in anguish and affliction, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
tribulation, persecution, suffering and death. They
must be tried with fire, and must reach the He has showed you, O man, what is good.
Fatherland of eternal rest, not by killing their bodily
And what does the LORD require of you?
enemies, but by [mortifying] their spiritual [enemies].
Neither do they use worldly sword nor war, since To act justly and to love mercy
8 21
human and animal corpses with sacrificial marks
long before any written records of the practice. It was
practiced by many of these religions as a means of
service to God or changing the course of nature.
Animal sacrifice has appeared in almost all cultures,
so it was certainly not surprising that the Jews
picked up on it and practiced it until after the
destruction of the Second Temple.
As I have already pointed out not all Jews accepted
the idea of animal sacrifice for the Essenes certainly
did not. They were followers of a religious way of
living in Judaism that flourished from the 2nd
century BC to the 1st century AD. Maybe that is why
I have such deep respect for them. They not only
decried the practice of animal sacrifice they were
pacifists. So you see there were dissenters even back
in the 2nd century before Christ. And so, they were
Jews who kept all the Jewish observances, but they
would not offer animal sacrifice or eat meat. They
actually considered it unlawful to eat meat or to
make sacrifices with it. I say good for them!
Then in the next century the prophet Micah came
along and prophesied throughout the reigns of
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, roughly 735–700 BC.
Micah was brought up to fear the Lord in a small
hometown, and it was in this small village that God
Almighty based His great plans for him. Micah grew
20
killing has absolutely ceased with them. This has
been the nonresistant position of the Anabaptists and
of their spiritual lineage for almost four and a half
centuries, and for this "heresy," coupled with a free
church (in opposition to one established by law), and
believer's baptism, they suffered about 5,000 martyrs
in the sixteenth century.
Then in the middle of the 17th century the Quaker
movement began through the person of George Fox;
the date which is generally accepted as the "birth of
Quakerism" is 1652. For some five years, Fox had
been traveling round the country, spreading his
message. He was understood and welcomed by some,
but he also met with considerable opposition; he had
been imprisoned in Derby prison on a charge of
blasphemy and had suffered considerable ill-
treatment. He had been working very much on his
own and he had certainly not initiated any sort of
religious movement. Then, in May 1652, he was in
Lancashire and had climbed to the top of Pendle Hill.
It was a strange thing to do, for people did not climb
hills for the fun of it in those days, especially one that
was well-reputed as an abode for witches; still, Fox
had a habit of doing unaccountable things! The view
from the summit of the far spread countryside
inspired him and shortly afterwards he had a vision,
or an insight, of "a great people to be gathered".
9
tered on "The Inner Light". More correctly this
should be termed the "Inner Light of Christ", because
a basic part of the message was that "Christ had
come to teach his people himself". People listened
because it was a message of hope-of assurance. No
longer did they have to look to a Priest, or Church, or
Book as the final authority; the authority and the
"Truth" was to be found by the individual through
direct knowledge of the spirit of Christ - the "Christ
in the heart". They became convinced that by
"waiting on the Lord" they would come to know the
will of God through direct communication. The
movement came into conflict both with Cromwell's
Puritan government and later with the restored
monarchy of Charles II, over a number of points: they
refused to pay tithes to the state Church; to take
oaths in court; to practice "hat honor" (doff their hats
to the king or other persons in positions of power); or
to go to war.
On a per-capita basis, Friends have probably
contributed more in the promotion of tolerance, peace
and justice than any other Christian denomination.
They have been influential far beyond their numbers
in many areas: promotion of world peace, abolition of
slavery, fair treatment of Native Americans,
universal suffrage, prison reform, improvement in
mental hospitals, etc. I have always been happy to
10
person, or object, that is considered to be
supernatural, sacred, divine, or of the highest truth.
Moral codes, practices, values, institutions, tradition,
rituals, and scriptures are often traditionally
associated with the core belief, and these may have
some overlap with concepts in secular philosophy.
Religion is also often described as a "way of life".
O.K.? All Ancient civilizations in the Near East
were deeply influenced by their spiritual beliefs.
Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with
matters of the spirit. The spiritual, involving
perceived eternal verities regarding humankind's
ultimate nature, often contrasts with the temporal,
with the material, or with the worldly. A sense of
connection forms a central defining characteristic of
spirituality — connection to something "greater" than
oneself, which includes an emotional experience of
religious awe and reverence. Equally importantly,
spirituality relates to matters of sanity and of
psychological health. Like some forms of religion,
spirituality often focuses on personal experience.
Now let's get to some of the early rites of those
ancient folk. Animal sacrifice was practiced by nearly
all Ancient civilizations and was the ritual killing of
an animal as part of their religion. The practice of
sacrifice is found in the oldest human records
available. And the archaeological record contains
19
 My Credo Friends Views
Well my friends I am going to bare my soul today
As Friends we do not recite the creeds nor do we
and explain as best I can why I believe as I do. I am
observe the outward sacraments. We believe these
sure there will be many of you who will thoroughly
are merely symbols of the real inward events. I have
disagree with me, but so be it. I trust there may be at
never participated in the outward sacraments even
least a few of you who see my point of view.
though I have had many opportunities to do so.
To begin with let us set the record straight, religion
At the very center of the Quaker faith lies the
is simply a set of beliefs and practices generally held
concept of the Inner Light. This principle states that
by a community, involving adherence to codified
in every human being there is implanted a certain
beliefs which are nothing more than psychological
element of God's own Spirit and divine energy. The
states in which an individual is convinced of the truth
element, known to early Friends as "that of God in
of a proposition. Like the related concepts truth,
everyone", "the seed of Christ", or "the seed of Light"
knowledge, and wisdom, there is no precise definition
that means to Friends, in the words of John 1:9, "the
of belief on which scholars agree, but rather
true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh
numerous theories and continued debate about the
into the world."
nature of belief and rituals, that is words of a "rite",
which are said as a part of a ceremony which is a set Friends generally believe that first-hand knowledge
of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, of God is only possible through that which is
which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions experienced, or inwardly revealed to the individual
of a community. human being through the working of God's
quickening Spirit. This explains the attitude of
All patriarchal religions present a common quality,
Friends towards many things, including the person
the "hallmark of patriarchal religious thought": the
and ministry of Jesus Christ, the scriptures, the
division of the world in two comprehensive domains,
establishment and authority of the church, its use of
one sacred, the other profane. Religion is often
ceremonies, symbols and sacraments, and especially
described as a communal system for the coherence of
the obligations felt by each individual.
belief focusing on a system of thought, unseen being,

18 11
 The Second Call Scotus). God freely decides to accept this event as a
repayment of our dues to him. But then why not
The second time I felt the call to enter the ministry
freely decide to accept something less traumatic, such
I felt I couldn’t resist. Here I was married and with
as the sacrifice of a sheep? (d) Jesus suffers as a
3 children to support now so how in the world could I
substitute for us. But the morality of using
manage? I talked it over with my wife, of course, and
substitutes or scapegoats is particularly unedifying.
she agreed that we should go ahead with following
(e) The Ethical Message or Example (Abelard). Jesus
the leading of the Lord.
is sent to exemplify for us the perfect life. It seems
strange, however, to deliver the message in one
We talked it over with our pastor, Vernard Cox and
particular place and time, and especially one with
he got in touch with the Iowa Yearly Meeting of
such fragile means of recording the event.
Friends superintendent, Paul Barnett. In a few days
Paul Barnett came and visited with us. He was I give you this brief introduction leading up to My
delighted with our leading and suggested that the Credo. It wasn’t until I was 90 years old that I came
New Sharon Meeting was seeking a pastor and that up with this compilation that satisfied my mind and
would provide and opportunity for me to attend heart. It makes sense to me whereas none of the
college at Penn College, which was just 15 miles theories of the atonement through the centuries have.
south of New Sharon.
Please read it with an open mind and heart seeking
truth where ever you can.
Arrangements were made for us to go to New
Sharon and preach a sermon and meet with their
ministry and oversight body. We did that and the call
was given for us to come and serve as their pastor.

We accepted the invitation and made the move in

time to get 2 of the girls in school at New Sharon,
Ruth wasn’t old enough yet, and me enrolled at Penn
College in Oskaloosa.

12 17
even to any of those occupations even in peace which
are easily perverted to wicked purposes; . . . they
repudiated and kept aloof from everything which
could possibly afford any inducement to covetousness;
and there was not a single slave among them, but
they were all free, aiding one another with a
reciprocal interchange of good offices; and they
condemned masters, not only as unjust, inasmuch as
they corrupted the very principle of equality, but
likewise as impious, because they destroyed the
ordinances of nature, which generated them all
equally. I admire their high standards.
That shows that I’m not alone in my opposition to
the slaying of animals for men’s sins. And that brings
us to the whole idea of the atonement. In Christian
theology, the sacrificial death of Christ as some kind
of payment for the sins of mankind. Various theories
attempt to make sense of a perfect deity directing a
sacrifice of this kind. They include: (a) the idea that
the event is the payment of some kind of a ransom to
the forces of evil. But since the Son is rejoined with
his Father, the forces of evil appear to have been
cheated, and this seems incompatible with justice. (b)
The Satisfaction theory (Anselm). The sacrifice
restores God's honour, insulted by sin. But the way
this restoration works remains obscure, especially as
the insult goes on. (c) The Acceptance theory (Duns
16
My Early Questions
I remember very well how I was troubled with all of
the theories of the atonement. They just didn’t
satisfy my mind at all. One time I asked the
representative of The Five Years Meeting of Friends,
Merton Scott, who was visiting Iowa Yearly Meeting
about it. He recommended a book by Leslie
Weatherhead, A Plain Man Looks at the Cross. I got
it right away and it helped a great deal, but still
didn’t quench my desire for understanding the whole
question of the atonement.
Another problem that bothered me was the killing
of animals for men’s sins. That never made sense to
me. How could the God of love, exemplified in Jesus
Christ demand the slaying of innocent animals for my
sins?
Whenever I raised such questions I was told
because the Bible says so. But you know what the
Bible also says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,'' The
more I investigated this problem the more I found out
that I wasn’t alone. Long before the birth of Jesus a
group of Hebrews, known as the Essenes, were very
much opposed to the killing of animals not only for
sacrificial purposes but also for food. There were
three main philosophical sects among the Jews, the
13
 Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes.
The Pharisees were a prominent sect of Jews in
Christ's time. They opposed Jesus and His teachings.
They plotted His death. They were denounced by
Him. Their characteristic teachings included: belief
in oral as well as written Law; resurrection of the
human body; belief in the existence of a spirit world;
immortality of the soul; predestination; future
rewards and punishments based upon works.
The Sadducees were another prominent Jewish
religious sect in the time of Christ. Their beliefs
included: acceptance only of the Law and rejection of
oral tradition; denial of bodily resurrection;
immortality of the soul; existence of a spirit world.
They supported the Maccabeans. The Sadducees
were a relatively small group, but they generally held
the high priesthood. They denounced John the
Baptist and Jesus. They actively opposed Christ and
the apostolic Church.
Then there were the Essenes who were a Jewish
religious sect not actually mentioned in the Bible, but
described by Josephus, Philo, and mentioned in the
Dead Sea Scrolls. Most members lived communal,
celibate lives. They observed Jewish Law very
strictly. They practiced ceremonial baptisms.
14
nes were apocalyptic, and they opposed Temple
priesthood. Essenes were apocalyptic, and they
opposed Temple priesthood. They were stricter than
any other of the Jews, in resting from their labour on
the seventh day; for they not only got their food ready
the day before, so that they would not be obliged to
kindle a fire on that day, but they would not even
remove any vessel out of its place.
There was certainly a connection between
Pharisaism and Essenism. Both groups originated
from a desire after 'purity,' though there seems a
fundamental difference between them, alike in the
idea of what constituted purity, and in the means for
attaining it. To the Pharisee it was Levitical and legal
purity, secured by the 'hedge' of ordinances which
they drew around themselves. To the Essene it was
absolute purity in separation from the 'material,'
which in itself was defiling. And there was absolutely
no place for either an Aaronic priesthood, or bloody
sacrifices in the Essene way of life. In fact, they
repudiated both.
I find it interesting that among these men you will
find no makers of arrows, or javelines, or swords, or
helmets, or breastplates, or shields, no makers of
arms or military engines; no one, in short, attending
to any employment whatever connected with war, or
15